


engaged and dead on the same day--not in that order

by thesorrowoflizards



Series: random oneshots [9]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grifters and Conmen, Conman Magnus Bane, Cop Alec Lightwood, Cuddles!!!, Fake Character Death, Funerals, Happy Ending, Insecure Magnus, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Magnus is Extra, Marriage Proposal, Not Really Character Death, Oneshot, a lot sweeter than the summary makes it sound, alec loves him so much (and vice versa), in the robin hood leverage kind of way, mundane AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 19:11:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18762670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesorrowoflizards/pseuds/thesorrowoflizards
Summary: Alec looked stoically down at the headstone.Magnus Bane:A man who knew the wonders of life and love.1994-2018The dirt beneath it was freshly turned, the coffin six feet or so beneath newly placed there.He felt a hand on his shoulder."I know you cared about him, Alec." his sister said.





	engaged and dead on the same day--not in that order

 

 

It was late. 

The funeral had long since ended. The sky was dark and cloudless, stars hanging in the clear night air. 

Alec looked stoically down at the headstone.

_Magnus Bane:_

_A man who knew the wonders of life and love._

_1992-2018_

The dirt beneath it was freshly turned, the coffin six feet or so beneath newly placed there.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you cared about him, Alec." his sister said.

She sounded indescribably sad--and she was. She had never seen Alec in love before. It had been a wonderful sight, her usually stoic brother happy and light-hearted. 

And now that light of his had been snuffed out, his life cruelly cut short. 

One corner of Alec's lips turned up, although Isabelle didn't see it. "Yes," he said. "I do."

"You do?"

"You don't stop caring about someone because they're dead, Iz." he said. His voice was so soft she barely heard it.

"I know," she whispered. "I--I didn't know Magnus very well, but... he didn't deserve this."

"I know," he echoed. 

Isabelle hesitated.

"I heard in the news--he was a con man?" she said. It was almost a question. "Was he...?"

She'd heard a lot, these last few days, but she knew that so much of it could have never been true. Magnus might be a criminal--although that fact still left her head spinning--but there was no way he'd do the things he'd been accused of.

(Would he?) 

(She didn't know him very well, she'd said it herself--she'd only met him a few times. He'd seemed so kind and cheerful, and the way he'd talked to Max had been so sweet and understanding even when Mac had been rude--)

"No," Alec said. "He wasn't playing me."

He could hear her unasked question.  _How can you be sure?_

"I know because I'm the person who put him here," he said. 

She startled in shock. "What?"

"He's... this--" he gestured to the tombstone, expression still unreadable. " _This_ is because of me. He--he got caught because he was protecting me."

"Protecting you from what?" she asked. "Why are you only just now telling me this?"

"I was protecting him, too," he said, not answering her question. "I didn't arrest him. I--I withheld evidence, I kept him safe."

Isabelle's eyes were wide. Alec was an extremely by-the-book cop. He believed in the law and followed it to the letter. He didn't so much as play hooky or get to work late, much less lying to protect a criminal. Not to mention he'd always religiously followed their parents' wishes, and being in a relationship with a  _male_ criminal, one he broke the law for? Unheard of.

"But now..." he looked down at the gravestone. It was cold, plain stone. It didn't suit Magnus at all.

Magnus was--had been--so vibrant and full of life. This gray, smooth stone didn't belong over his head.

Isabelle blinked back a few tears. God, how much had her brother loved this man? How much had she missed?

It didn't surprise her Alec wasn't crying. He'd always bottled up his emotions and pretended everything was okay.

No doubt it would be later--weeks, months, years--he'd finally break. And she wasn't sure how bad the damage would be. How deep the cracks in his heart would go. If he'd ever love anyone the way he'd apparently loved Magnus.

"He was framed, you know," Alec said suddenly.

"What?"

"The things, they said they did--he didn't do them. He's a thief, not a killer. Not a monster."

 _He is._  Present tense.

He was still in denial.

"...Alec--" she began.

"Um, can you go?" he said. He sounded a little choked. He was looking out to the distance.

"What--?"

"Please."

She gave him one last searching look. "Take care of yourself, Alec," she said. "I'm checking in on you tomorrow--please, just... don't do anything stupid."

"I'm not going to hurt myself," Alec said. "I just--I need some time. Alone with--him. Please."

Isabelle nodded slowly. "Call me tonight, okay?" she said. "When you get home. Please."

"I will."

She left, walking away slowly, hoping that her brother was going to be okay.

 

Behind her, Alec checked to make sure she was out of sight. Then he glared at the nearby tree. "You can come out," he called.

Magnus peered out. "She gone?" 

He'd already peeled off the fake mustache and shed the thick coat that he'd been wearing during the funeral, and was now dressed in a dark and plain suit that was quite unlike him. He looked good in it, of course, but usually he didn't go for plainer, starker colors. It wasn't his style.

But then, right now he wasn't going for  _his_ style.

"Yes," Alec sighed.

Magnus walked forward, slipping out from behind the trees and glancing around to make sure no one was watching. No one was. It was late, and there was no one else nearby. The only person left at the graveyard were the groundskeeper, whom was an old friend of Magnus's. 

He beamed at Alec. "Hey, darling," he said cheerfully.

Alec could, of course, see right through his facade. He knew Magnus was still upset. 

Not to mention-- _god,_ he was so happy to see Magnus alive. He'd known it was fake but it had still been so hard to look at that awful gravestone, to sit through that funeral.

He stepped forward and pulled Magnus into a tight hug. 

Magnus stiffened, startled, but Alec only squeezed tighter, clutching him close to his chest.

Magnus finally relaxed into it, hesitantly hugging back. 

After a long moment of being in each other's arms, ignoring the breeze and the empty rows of cold stone surrounding them, they pulled apart, still entwined but no longer pressed body-to-body.

"What was that for?" Magnus asked, laughing a little, but his eyes were shy and uncertain. 

"I'm just... really happy to see you," Alec said. 

Magnus grinned at him. It was a lot more sincere than the last one. "I'm happy to see you, too," he said.

"You know, I think this is the second time you've attended your own funeral," Alec said, unable to help the grin on his face. "Naughty."

"We met at my funeral, remember?" Magnus asked, fingers playing up his chest. "How was it you introduced yourself?"

Alec sagged back a little in exasperation, but the broad, fond smile didn't leave his lips. 

 _"Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Michael Chang. Considering you're dead,"_ Magnus said, in a terrible impression of Alec's voice.

"I did  _not_ sound like that," Alec said.

"You totally did!" Magnus laughed. "You were the most overdramatic cop I'd ever met. You know, me and Ragnor used to call you Batman. Because of the stoic face and low voice act you always put on--not to mention you always wear all black. And your family is rich, right?"

Alec considered it. "I'll take it," he said. "But I'm not an orphan or a superhero."

Magnus laughed. "I don't wear all black and I'm not a superhero," he said. "So we're both two traits away from being Batman. Well, I'm three if you count the rich _family_ part. And the butler, come to think of it. Wait, no, Ragnor is definitely Alfred."

"I'll tell him you said that," Alec said.

"Well--you can't," Magnus said, the laughter abruptly dying from his face. "We're... we're leaving the country, Alexander. I came to say goodbye." 

"...what?"

Magnus smiled sadly, beginning to pull away. "Alexander, I can't stay in the country. Honestly, I took a risk coming here to see you."

"Magnus..." 

"I'm sorry, I can't stay," Magnus continued, avoiding eye contact and untangling himself from Alec's arms, stepping back. "I want to, I really do, I just... I can't. And you're a cop, Alexander, I can't even tell you where I'm going, the less you know the better, the more you know the more danger you're in--" 

_"Magnus--"_

"This is... this is goodbye," Magnus said. He looked heartbroken but resolute. "So after this... I'm dead. Gone. We won't--we  _can't_ see each other again, okay?"

"Magnus!" Alec said, louder this time, reaching out and grabbing Magnus's hands. "I'm not a cop anymore."

"...What?" 

"When I heard about what happened, that you were 'dead', I realized what your plan must be. Fake your death, flee the country--you've done it before. So... I quit." 

"You... you what?"

"I wasn't happy as a cop," Alec said. "I did what my parents wanted me to, but seeing the shit that happened around me, the things cops got away with, and what the law did to people, and the things  _people_  do to other people--it never made me happy. Being with you? That makes me happy. Criminal or not."

"I thought you believed in the law," Magnus said slowly, softly. "That criminals should be brought to justice."

"The law is fucked," Alec said. "And--yes, I believed that the people I arrested, the people I went after, needed to be brought to justice. But Magnus...  _you_  don't need to be brought to justice. Really, you're far more innocent than many  _cops_  I've met. You've hurt less people."

"So I've seduced you over to my side?" Magnus asked, beginning to allow a smile to play on his lips.

"You could say that," Alec laughed. "Uh, Magnus, this--this wasn't how I wanted to do this. I've actually been planning this for a while. Before all this happened. But I think now is the perfect time."

"Wh--?"

Alec slowly got down on one knee, still holding his hands. Magnus's eyes went wide.

He reached down to his pocket, pulling something out. 

A ring box.

Magnus blinked away a few tears. Happy tears. "Alexander," he gasped.

"Wherever you're going, Magnus, I want to follow," Alec said, his voice soft and full of love. "France, England, Egypt, Australia... anywhere. Wherever it is, I'll be right by your side. Not as cop, not chasing you, but as your partner."

Magnus looked completely shocked. 

"Magnus Bane," Alec said, voice taking on a certain gravitas, smiling, eyes shining happily. "Love of my life, the most ridiculous and wonderful man I've ever known... will you marry me?"

"O-oh my god," Magnus whispered. He was beaming, one hand covering his mouth, tears pricking at his eyes. "Y...yes.  _Yes._  God, yes, I'll marry you, Alexander."

Alec beamed. He let go of Magnus's hand to pluck the ring from his box, taking his hand once again to slide it onto Magnus's ring finger.

Magnus looked overjoyed, totally stunned and happy. 

Alec looked up at him and kissed the back of his hand. 

Magnus felt his breath leave him.

 _God,_ this was--

 

He'd never expected this.

One: He'd never, ever,  _ever_  expected that  _anyone_ would ever propose to him. Yes, he knew Alec had loved him, but he'd learned the hard way that love often wasn't enough. And anyway,  _marriage?_ It had always been a pipe dream for him. He wasn't the kind of person people wanted to marry.

Two: If someone  _did_ propose to him, he wouldn't have expected it to be in an empty graveyard late at night in front of his own fake grave. Right before they planned on fleeing the country together. And he certainly wouldn't have expected a cop to be the one proposing, let alone one planning on breaking the law with him.

So this? This was a surprise. 

But the best surprise he'd ever gotten.

 

He fell to his knees and flung himself into Alec's arms, hugging him tightly.

Alec hugged back equally tightly, fingers brushing Magnus's nape.

Magnus buried his face in the crook of Alec's neck. He could feel the cool metal of his engagement ring (his  _engagement_ ring!) on his finger.

Alec squeezed him tighter. "God, I love you," he murmured into his hair.

Magnus sniffled against his neck. "I love you, too," he almost sobbed. "God, I'm--sorry, I'm just getting so emotional..."

Alec laughed, pressing a kiss to his head. "Don't apologize," he said. "I'm emotional, too. We're getting  _married._ "

"You're not crying," Magnus mumbled. "I'm an actor, a master of lies, I should be able to--to hold in some tears."

"I don't want you to," Alec said, fingers playing with the short hairs on his nape.

Magnus shivered happily, melting under the touch. 

Alec pulled away, arms still slung around his shoulders.

"We're squatting in a graveyard," Alec said.

"On my grave," Magnus said, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure this is the start of a vampire porno."

"I'm not going full Mary Shelley with you." Alec said, deadpan.

"Okay, first of all," Magnus said, laughing, "I know for a  _fact_ you're not a virgin. And this isn't your mother's grave, but  _mine."_

"True, true," Alec said. "But I'm still not having sex with you  _in a graveyard."_

"No one would see us," Magnus protested, but he wasn't serious. Seeing Alec's eyebrows raise, he sighed fondly. "I'm just kidding, anyway. I'm not getting naked on a dirt pile. That would just be unsanitary."

Alec stood, holding out a hand for Magnus to take. Magnus accepted, allowing Alec to pull him to his feet.

They didn't let go of each other's hands, instead choosing to grin at each other. They began walking--Magnus led the way, and Alec followed.

"So where are we going, anyway?" Alec asked. "France? Mexico? Canada? Spain? Peru?"

"Well... I always wanted a wedding in Paris," Magnus said. "We could have our honeymoon in Tokyo. Haven't you always wanted to go there?"

"Yeah, actually," Alec said, not sure why he was surprised. "When did I tell you that?"

"You mentioned it on our second date," Magnus said casually. "And I've been there before, I know some places... And, of course, I'm fluent in six different languages--"

"--and can decently get a point across in almost ten more, as well as read a bunch of ancient dialects I've never heard of because you majored in some sort of history degree that you won't specify," Alec finished. "I know, love, you're extremely impressive. I have no doubt you'll make it an amazing time... but I also want to sweep you off  _your_  feet." 

"Hmm..." Magnus said. "How about this? Half the honeymoon will be in Tokyo, and I'll plan it. You plan the other half in whatever city you like."

"What about expenses?"

Magnus bit back a smile,. "Well... you know Mr. Morgenstern, the man who framed me?"

Alec frowned. "Yes." 

"Well, in a few days a time, he's going to be found guilty of all the crimes he pinned on me and arrested. And  _I've--_ well, it's more accurate to say Catarina did, but she did it for me--stolen all of his money. She'll get a modest cut, of course, but the man is rich as sin and any family he had has long since left him. They wanted no part in his money when I asked, so..." he shrugged. "We're a few billion dollars richer. It's a pretty ludicrous amount, actually, more than enough to pay for our honeymoon and wedding."

"How much did Catarina get?" Alec asked, curious.

"Not much," Magnus admitted. "I tried to get her to take at least half, but she said to think of it as a wedding present." 

"That was nice of her," Alec said, already thinking of ways to subtly pay her back. 

"I already got her that extraordinarily nice dress she's been talking herself out of buying for months now," Magnus reassured him, "And donated  _quite_ a bit of Mr. Morgenstern's money to various hospitals, including her own. Don't worry.  _And_  there's still plenty left for us to have the perfect honeymoon."

Alec smiled. Of course Magnus had already compensated Catarina for her hard work--he should have realized. 

"Should we get going?" he asked. 

"Of course," Magnus said. "We're almost to your car. Hope you don't mind driving me, I was dropped off."

Alec looked around and realized they had, in fact, been heading back towards the parking lot. He hadn't noticed, too wrapped up in Magnus.

"I don't mind," Alec said. He let go of Magnus's hand so that he could wind an arm around his waist and pull him closer into his side. Magnus leaned into him pliantly, resting his head on his shoulder. 

"Where shall we go first,  _fiancé?"_ Alec asked playfully.

"Your apartment, to get your things," Magnus said. "We'll have to be fast, and then we'll head to a private airport. Ragnor helped me arrange it. Our first destination is my safe house in Madrid. Sound good?"

"As long as it's with you," Alec said. 

Magnus beamed, turning his head to kiss him. Alec kissed back, hand rubbing Magnus's hip and holding him close. 

After a moment, they broke apart, both of them grinning like fools. 

"C'mon," Alec said. He pulled away from Magnus, slipping the keys from his pocket and unlocking the car. He opened the passenger door, gesturing for Magnus to sit. Magnus grinned at him, slipping into the car and closing the door behind him. 

Alec walked around the car and got into the driver's seat. 

They drove in comfortable silence, and it wasn't long before they arrived. Alec's apartment wasn't far from the graveyard.

(Isabelle had chosen this particular graveyard for that exact reason--so her brother could visit his dead lover without trouble.

When Alec had learned this fact, he felt bad that he hadn't told her about his suspicions on Magnus being alive. But he knew it was for both their sakes, and anyway, if he was wrong--if he was just in denial--then it would hurt her even more.) 

They hurried into the apartment, closing and locking the door behind them. It was unlikely anyone was watching them, as no one had any reason to believe Magnus was alive or that Alec was a threat, but it didn't hurt to be safe. 

Once inside, Alec set about packing his things. 

Truth be told, he didn't have much to pack--he had a suitcase in the closet for when he traveled, as well as a duffel bag. He had clothes to pack, although it wouldn't break him up too much to leave behind what he couldn't carry--none of it was special to him, really, except perhaps a green shirt Isabelle had gotten him for his birthday and a pair of tight pants that Magnus had sent him as a joke (back when he'd still been chasing Magnus, before Alec had seen his face).  

Other items only included a few rings and small trinkets, most given to him by Magnus or memoirs of his more memorable cases, and several photographs he kept on his wall. The apartment was mostly bare other than that--a simple couch, IKEA furniture, and mostly bare walls. Half of them had never even really been painted, much to Izzy's lamentation every time she visited. She'd always complained but they'd never gotten around to remodeling it.

Now they never would, he supposed.

"Alexander?" Magnus's voice called from the other room. 

"What?" Alec asked, stepping in. He was mostly finished packing, he just had the photo frames and some clothes left. 

Magnus was staring at the small cluster of photos on the walls. Some were of him and Alec, laughing or smiling or kissing. Others were of Alec and Isabelle, arms around each other or making goofy faces. They were really the only important people in Alec's life--he had other friends, and other people he talked to, but none that it would kill him to leave behind.

Isabelle, however...

"When you decided to run away with me..." Magnus asked, hesitating. "...what... what about Isabelle? I know you two are close, and--is she coming with us? I'm more than happy to accommodate, but--"

"No," Alec said, stepping forward and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Her life is here."

"Then...?"

Alec looked down. "I love my sister," he said. "And if it's possible, I want to tell her where we're going. Who I'm with." He gave Magnus a significant look. "But... I love  _you_ , too, Magnus. And Izzy can take care of herself. I'd love it if I could visit her, or if she could visit us, but she doesn't need me like she used to. She has her own friends, her own life--hell, she even has a girlfriend. And I have  _you._ " 

"We could tell her," Magnus said quietly. "We'd have to be careful, but she--she can keep a secret, can't she? I don't think she would tell anyone."

"She wouldn't," Alec agreed. "She'd probably be angrier we didn't tell her sooner." 

"I'm just... are you sure?" Magnus asked. His fingers were fidgeting with the simple silver cuff on his ear. "You're leaving a lot behind."

He didn't know why he hadn't thought of this sooner. He'd been so deliriously happy back at the graveyard that Alec wanted to  _come with him,_ wanted to--actually wanted to  _marry_ him... that he hadn't even thought what it might cost Alec. 

He lowered his hands, beginning to move into a defensive pose with his arms crossed over his heart without even realizing.

Alec caught his hands mid-movement, holding them between his own. "Magnus," he said gently. "You're my  _fiancé._ I love you. And I'm not losing anything--I'm moving away from my sister, true, and from a city I've lived in my whole life. But honestly? I've always wanted to travel the world,  _see_ things, especially with someone I love. Someone... like you. Someone I never thought I'd have. And I haven't lost Izzy--I can still talk to her, we can still see each other. I'll just be living with you. So yes, I'm absolutely sure." 

Magnus exhaled, reassured even if his heartbeat still felt too quick and his stomach a little queasy. 

Alec leaned forward and kissed him gently, one hand cupping his face. Magnus kissed back, leaning into him happily.

"I love you," Magnus said as the kiss broke, eyes a little wet with emotion.

Alec wound an arm around his waist and pulled Magnus flush against him, their foreheads resting together. Magnus gave a shaky little sigh, sinking happily into the embrace.

"I love you, too," Alec said softly.

They stood together, pressed close in the empty apartment.

They had a whole life ahead of them. The conman Magnus Bane had, in a way, had died today. Was truly dead and buried in that graveyard.

But the real Magnus, the one Alec loved--who may or may not still have cons left to pull off, rich assholes to scam and innocent people to help--he was still here.

And he was going to be with Alec for the rest of his life.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: TO THOSE WHOM HAVE NOTICED MY CRAP WRITING AND PLOT HOLES: [free real estate man whisper] it's bad writing   
> like I'm really sorry but I'm way too sick to go back and edit it in a coherent and non-noticable/super obviously edited way so we'll see how that goes like, sometime soon hopefully 
> 
>  
> 
> i found this, notes and all, almost completely finished, on my hard drive????
> 
> anyway after this he and alec go on to be their own little duo, possibly teaming up with other like-minded criminals leverage style, scamming rich dickheads and helping their victims. alec never thought he'd do this, but honestly it feels good.  
> and he calls izzy and has to discreetly get the message of "uhhhh so i ran away with my boyfriend who is NOT dead, cool?" and at some point she goes to france for "vacation" or a "business trip" and they meet in a cafe and it's great
> 
>  
> 
>  **ORIGINAL NOTES FOR THIS:**  
>  I'm not going into this au because i just. don't have the energy. especially after two days of lethargic depression lying around rewatching leverage and drinking nothing but dr. pepper and obsessively playing mario odyssey. but basically even though i'm almost certainly not going into it in another fic i just wanna like. magnus here isn't like one of them nasty conmen (read: realistic ones lmao) who run pyramid schemes and con innocent people out of their money. he's a neal caffery, alec hardison, sophie deveraux type. thief, grifter, but like. robin hood shit. because honestly can you imagine magnus as anything but the compassionate, selfless person he is? even as a criminal? yeah, maybe he keeps some for himself (enough to have good equipment/resources and a modest living) but dude's probably stealing back art from museums that robbed various cultures or stealing from rich CEOs and giving to people in need or some shit. doesn't mean he's not good at what he does, or that he's not breaking the law, but still.  
> also michael chang is a reference to mike chang from glee because i mean why not  
> i don't even like glee but c'mon i had to  
> in case anyone is wondering about "going full mary shelley" mary shelley, one of the most badass and goth ladies ever, allegedly lost her virginity on her mother's grave (to her future husband). i'm not completely sure if this is fact or urban legend, but it's a good story and honestly it wouldn't surprise me if it was true because that woman was delightfully Extra and also metal as fuck  
> small bit of angst that didn't actually make it into the direct text: one of the reasons magnus is upset when he reveals himself is that when he attended his own funeral (posing as a distant cousin--probably michael chang, in honor of his meeting with alec, which is how alec knew he was alive--there were very few people there. specifically, himself, alec, isabelle, and a few distant acquaintances that don't know he's actually alive or recognize him in his disguise. and while logically he knows this is because raphael, ragnor, and catarina all know he's alive and dot is out of the country, etc. but there's still something disorienting and upsetting about so few people being at his funeral, especially considering he has had insecurities about no one missing him should he disappear, especially considering his job as a con artist who can disappear at will and must be all airbender-like and unattached in order to move from place to place without getting caught.  
> i know this is all way too detailed it just....didn't end up getting included lol  
> especially as i did almost all of this when i should have been asleep lmao


End file.
